Clutch mechanism.



Patented Oct. 7, I902.

"' F. w. MONTGOMERY.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

(Application filed Oct. 26, 1900.)

(No Model.)

K? fi gg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WV. MONTGOMERY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WILLIAM R. MONTGOMERY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AND THOMAS H. MONTGOMERY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,494, dated October '7, 1902. Application filed October 26, 1900. Serial No. 34,417. (No model.)

To rt/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK W. MONTGOM- ERY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Louisville, county of Jefferson, and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanisms, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Broadly speaking, this invention has relation to mechanism which is designed to be driven part of the time continuously and part of the time intermittently-as, for example, in compressing-machines for forming tobacco plugs, in which a reciprocatingplunger has to be driven part of the time continuously-that is, making a number of strokes in successionand part of the time it is desired that it should operate intermittentlythat is, for one strokeand then stop at either the upper or lower end of the stroke.

The first of the objects of my invention is the combination, in a clutch mechanism, of a rotating driving part or gear, a driven part or shaft mounted within the gear, means of engagement between said two parts, devices for controlling said means of engagement, and means whereby in oneposition of said controlling devices said driven part will revolve continuously and in another position but a predetermined amouutas, for example, one-half of a revolution, or a quarter of a revolution, or, if desired, more or less, as the case may require.

Another object of my invention is theprovision of mechanism whereby in the operation of a part that is desired to reciprocate or move through a certain distance and then stop in one or another position the same can be controlled by the simple movement of a hand-lever,which when placed in one position will cause the reciprocating or moving part to stop in a predetermined place, and which when placed in another position will cause the reciprocating or moving part to stop in another predetermined place, and which when placed in a middle position will cause the moving or reciprocating part to be actuated continuously.

The above as well as such other objects as may hereinafter appear I attain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, upon which, in-

Figure 1, I have illustrated a machine for forming tobacco plugs, provided with a reciprocating plunger which it is desired to stop sometimes at the top of the stroke and sometimes at the bottom of the stroke, and which at other times it is desired shall continue to operate without stopping throughout a number of strokes. For controlling such machine I have placed my mechanism upon the shaft ll at the point marked 3. In'Fig. 2 I have shown a sectional view giving the details more clearly; in Fig. 3, another sectional view showing the operating-lever and the means of engagement between the driving and driven parts. Fig. 4 shows the hub part of the driving-wheel. Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing a spring-key employed in connection with my invention. Fig. 6 is an end view of the collar that I place upon the end of the shaft, and Fig. 7 is an elevation of the spring-key shown in section in Fig. 5.

In the machine shown in Fig. 1 it will be seen that there is a driving-shaft 4, and upon the shaft 4 are a couple of pulleys 5, driving the gear 6, which in turn drives another driving-gear '7. The driving-gear 7 is mounted upon one end of the axle 11 and provided with my improved clutch mechanism at the point marked 3. \Vithin the gear 7 there is arranged a notch 8, adapted to engage a key 9 within a recess 10 within the driven shaft 11 and constructed to be pressed outwardly at one side or edge by means of the spring 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The ends of the key 9 are provided with trunnions 13 to securely hold the key in position, one of the trunnions engaging a recess in the shaft or a collar surrounding the shaft, as shown at 14, and the other engaging a recess 15, formed in a collar 16, placed upon theend of the shaft, as shown in detail in Fig. 6. At one side of the gear 7 there is a controlling-lever 17, which surrounds the shaft and also the key 9, this lever, as shown in Fig. 3, being provided with two notches l8 and 19 and projections adjacent thereto, designed to bear upon another projection 20, (shown in Fig. 3,) which is formed upon the key 9. The projection 20 projects sufficiently far beyond the peripheral plane of the driven shaft to permit the key 9 to engage the recess or notch 8 in the driving-gear 7 continuously so long as the lever 17 is in the middle position, (marked 21 on Fig. 3,) one end of the lever 17, it being observed, having been provided with a pivotal point 22, about which it can be oscillated upward and downward. If new the lever 17 be raised, the notch 19 and adjacent projection will be brought into a position such that the next time the key 9 comes around to the adjacent place in its rotation the projec tion 20 will strike the projection at the notch 19 and the key 9 will be depressed against the force of its spring and caused to recede within the notch in the shaft and disengage the driving-gear 7, resulting in a stoppage of the driven shaft, although the gear continues to rotate. Substantially a like operation takes place when the lever is moved to the lower position, (shown by the lines 23.)

Because of the arrangement just described it is evident that bya proper location of the notches 18 and 19 in the lever 17 the machine shown in Fig. l or any other like machine can be caused to operate either continuously or to operate through a certain amount of motion or stroke and stop in any predetermined position. For example, the machine shown is arranged either to run continuously when the lever 17 is in the middle position or to stop at the top or bottom of the stroke, as circumstances may require, the position being determined by the position of the lever 17.

While the accompanying drawings show the form of the invention which I prefer, it is obvious that it could be altered in details in some respects without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting my claims to the precise details of mechanical construction shown, but would include all equivalent means known to the art.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotating driving-gear; a driven shaft mounted therein; a key carried in a recess and constructed to normally engage said gear; and means, operated from a single point, for moving said key out of its normal engagement at either one of a plurality of points in the revolution of the driven shaft, whereby said shaft may be stopped at one of a series of predetermined 66 positions.

2. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotating driving-gear, the driven shaft mounted therein, a key carried in a recess in said shaft and constructed to engage said gear, a controllinglever constructed to surround said shaft and key, said lever being provided with two notches, and projections adjacent thereto designed to bear upon another projection formed upon said key, substantially as described.

3. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotating driving-gear, the driven shaft mounted therein, a key carried in a recess in said shaft and constructed to engage said gear, a controllinglever constructed to surround said shaft and key, said lever being provided with two notches, and projections adjacent thereto designed to bear upon another projection formed upon said key, the controlling-lever being provided with a pivotal point about which it may be oscillated to actuate the clutch device so as to stop the machine either at one or the other extreme of its movement, substantially as described.

4. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotating driving-gear; a driven shaft mounted therein; means for normally engaging said shaft and gear; and a lever for controlling said engag ing means, said lever having devices adapted to be brought into operative connection with said engaging means at different points in the rotation of the driven shaft, whereby said shaft may be continuously rotated or stopped at any one of a plurality of predetermined points in its revolution.

5. Clutch mechanism comprising a rotating driving-gear; a driven shaft mounted therein; an engaging device between said shaft and gear for normally connecting said parts operatively; and an oscillating lever mounted in juxtaposition to the path of movement of said means, and having devices for disengaging said means, at either one of a plurality of predetermined points in the rotation of the said shaft, but one of said devices being brought into operative connection with said means at a movement of said lever to its extremes of movement, whereby the shaft may be disconnected from engagement with the gear at one of several predetermined points in its rotation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK W. MONTGOMERY.

In presence of WILLIAM EULLER, DAVID R. TATE.

IIO 

